As much as I find the posts criticizing bad bosses/businesses to be vitally important, I would just also like to explain why I'm beyond proud of every one of you.
A few years ago, I was working as a sous chef at a really nice little restaurant until September of 2020 when it closed (for non-covid reasons, the restaurant was actually doing pretty great). I made $15 an hour, and was perfectly fine with it because it was the restaurant I wanted to be at- I learned a ton while there and it was an extremely valuable experience overall.
After the restaurant closed, I used my full time of unemployment to stop and reflect- I took certification courses in medical billing and coding (that was paid for by a government program that sought to get more people employed in the medical field), looking to increase my income and work from home, but to be honest I found it incredibly boring, and if I had my druthers, the American Healthcare system wouldn't require the sheer amount of medical billers and coders, but most importantly, when I looked at the job postings… $15-20 an hour. Literally no better than what I could make in a kitchen, which I actually enjoy. Mind you, this was during the movement that's occurring- wages in low paid, high need positions were on the rise, but medical billing and coding? Fuck your expensive certifications, I guess. Thank goodness I didn't pay for it.
So I decided, fuck it – it's finally time to seize the means of production, and I started my own business (I won't get into what I do because this isn't for the sake of self promotion) and it's honestly going pretty well so far, but about two weeks ago my unemployment ended. Right now in my business, all the income gets reinvested back into the business, so I needed a very small amount of extra money to replace the unemployment- I decided to take a job dishwashing two days a week (I've worked every position in a kitchen and am exceedingly good at all of them, but my favorite is dish- I find it satisfying). There's a restaurant that friends of my family owns-they're exceptionally good people and their restaurant is frankly incredible. I got hired at $16 an hour for a dish position (which prior to all this would have been more like $11), and within the week I've been there I got a raise (I actually don't know how much yet, as this happened recently). As a whole it's very clear they take good care of their employees in a pretty difficult business, I'm very impressed all around.
My point is, in the time I've been away from the labor force, the wages have come much closer to the amount we've been owed for decades. Must the struggle still continue? Absolutely. Must we seize the means of production, by force if necessary? No doubt no doubt, but you all have had a hand in making a huge difference. You have recognized your power and are standing together with your fellow workers. I just want the people in this sub to hear that their actions are directly benefiting not only their own lives, but the lives of people all over the country (I can't speak for the rest of the world, I'm in America, but I'd love to hear from anyone in the world on their thoughts here).